Petone, Wellington
Wednesday July 25th/06
My dear Father
The Italy mail came yesterday just in time for me to have your letter of June 14th to answer by the Frisco which goes out today. I am glad George got his appointment so quickly, no doubt he was glad to get to work. Kathleen wrote & told me about her interview in London I hope to hear by the Frisco mail next week that she has secured a post. Boo’s letter was "Booish" as usual, I can imagine the calm way he would go in for his exam I wonder how he did. Arthur’s results must be out before this I suppose. Your description of the garden sounds very nice & makes me want to see it. The garden here doesn’t any thing like come up to ours at home, nobody here spends very much time or trouble over it. Frank does most but he only has Saturday afternoon as a rule to give to it. I have done a little weeding the last few days & have some more in view. You will be pleased I am sure that Uncle Dilnot is coming with us to Sydney, Aunt Lottie asked him some time ago if he could but she had almost given up hope of his doing so when he suddenly said he would come. It seems a very difficult matter to get him away from business, he seems to think every thing will go wrong without him, however luckily August is a good time of year for him to get away & as he has not been very well just lately he made up his mind he must have a holiday. Aunt Bessie came with us yesterday on our expedition to Otaki which I have described in my diary, she does not seem to get tired with a train journey & she was quite fresh & jolly when we got back after a good long day & a good deal of walking about. I think Aunt Lottie was more tired – Aunt Bessie must have been very lively when she was young I think, when she is well she is very bright & jolly – she said it does her good to get away from the house for a whole day, she get grumpy if she has too much of the house! I said I was glad she told me so, I shouldn’t have known it otherwise! The servant is not staying. I expect she will leave next week she is not up to the work & they would rather be without her. I was glad to get Mother’s letter last week from Richmond. I hope her change freshened her up. Aunt Lottie talks of going in to Wellington in a day or two to get our berths on the Sydney boat – our time is getting short now & she was told she ought to book three weeks beforehand. We feel as if we have had no winter to speak of the last few days especially have been very warm & we are doing without fires. It will be quite a treat to experience a real hard frost again when we get home, here they say they never have a frost to last all day.
We have heard nothing more about the Byrchs lately. I wonder whether Mr Byrch has taken a place yet, if not perhaps they are in Christchurch. I think they were to leave Amberley in June. I heard from Bessie Land the other day, she is just engaged to be married to a man in South Africa whom she has known for a long time, she expects to go out to him before Xmas.
I must write to Kathleen now so with much love to you all I remain
Your loving daughter
May E Sladden
I hope the Flower Show went off well yesterday.
I enclose a letter for Kath as I suppose she will be at home.
